Engine starter



Nov. 27, 1934.- p wHlTNEY 1,982,089

ENGINE STARTER Filed Jan. 23, 1931 A 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Maurice Whitney IN VENTOR A TTORNEY ENGINE STARTER Filed Jan. 23, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Maurice P. Whitney A rrozezvzy Patented Nov. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Eclipse Machine Comp poration of New York Application January 23,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to engine starting apparatus and more particularly to an improved form of abutment member for use with an automatic pinion shift for engine starters.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel form of abutment member for engine starters which is economical to manufacture, easy to install, and efiicient in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device which may be accurately and fixedly positioned on the starter shaft but which is readily removable.

A further object is the provision of such a device which requires no turning down, threading or other expensive operations on the starter shaft.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of an automatic starter gear shift embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in cranking position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the abutment member in operative position on the starter shaft;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing how the abutment member may be removed and replaced in position on the starter shaft;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail partly in section of a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail partly in section of a further application of the invention.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, an automatic starter gear shift is illustrated embodying a driving shaft 10, and pinion 11, freely mounted thereon for movement into and out of mesh with a member 12 of the engine to be started. Any suitable means may be provided for automatically shifting the pinion into and out of mesh with the engine member 12. Such means is here illustrated as sets of interthreaded spring members 13 and 14 surrounding said shaft, springs 13 being suitably anchored to a collar 15 keyed and pinned to the shaft 10 as indicated at 23 and 29, and springs 14 being anchored to pinion 11, said anchor means forming no part of the present invention.

According to the present invention, an abutment member in the form of a collar 16 is provided for limiting the movement of the pinion 11 into mesh with the engine member 12, thus cooperating with the shifting, members 13 and any, Elmira-N. Y., a cor- 1931, Serial No. 510,634

14 .to connect the pinion 11 for rotation with the starter shaft 10.

Since the abutment collar 16 defines the meshing position of the pinion 11, and receives the longitudinal component of the driving forces applied thereto, it will be apparent that the collar must be so connected with the starter shaft as to provide for accuracy in determining its position and strength to resist the thrusts of the pinion. Since further this abutment member must be removed in order to remove the starter drive for servicing, it is also very desirable that the fastening means should provide for easy removal of the collar without deforming the same or changing its adjustment on the shaft.

- In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, a preferred form of mounting of the above character is illustrated. As there shown, a shallow recess 17 is formed in the interiorof said collar, extendinginwardly from the back of said collar and terminating in a comparatively abrupt or radial shoulder 18. A groove 19 is formed in the shaft 10 with substantially radial shoulders 21 and 22 spaced from each other a distance approximately equal to twice the greatest depth of said recess, and a spring locking ring 23 is. arranged to have a sliding fit within said groove and to expand into the deepest portion of said recess when the collar is so placed on the shaft as to cause registry thereof.

The recess 17 is undercut or tapered in depth, with its shallowest portion at the rear face of the collar, and the depth of the groove 19 is made such that the locking ring 23 can be forced inwardly by the tapering portion 24 of said groove sufliciently to pass through the shallowest portion of the recess and thus yieldingly permit removal of the collar.

Pinion ll'is preferably maintained yieldingly in its idle position as shown in Fig. 1 by means such as an anti-drift spring 26 mounted on the shaft 10 between the pinion 11 and collar 16. The pinion is preferably provided with a recess 27 in the end of pinion 11 for receiving said spring 26 when the pinion is in driving position as shown in Fig.2, the recess being closed by the front face of the collar 16 whereby the antidrift spring is completly housed during the starting operation.

In assembling the parts, the drive is first slipped on the shaft 10 and the anchorage 15 for the springs 13 suitably fixed thereto as by a key 28 and set screw 29. The anti-drift spring 26is then slipped on the shaft followed by collar 16. Spring locking ring 23 is then placed in the groove 19 of the shaft and the collar 16 is passed back over the ring 23 as shown in Fig. 4 until said ring seats in the deepest part of the recess 17 as shown in Fig. 3. The device is then completely assembled ready for operation.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3 that since the locking ring 23 is approximatelytwice as thick as the depth of recess 17, as above set forth, said ring is subjected only to shearing stresses applied substantially to its thickest portion. It will be readily understood that this construction provides a large cross section 'of material to perform the locking functionwithout the use of heavy or expensive locking parts. It will also be understood' that the positioning of the groove 19 in the starter shaft determines accurately the position of the collar 16 and hence the meshing position of the pinion 11.

When it is desired to remove the drive, all that is necessary is to loosen set screw 29, draw the collar 16 alongthe starter shaft 10 in. the direction of pinion 11 until-.the locking ring 23 snaps outffrom the recess 17, whereupon the ring maybe removed from the groove 19 and the assembly may then be :withdrawn from the motor shaft. It will be understood that the inclination of the tapered portion 24 of the recess 17 is such as to cooperate with the expansive force of the lockingring .23. is yieldably maintaining the collar 16 in its normal position unless suitable force is applied thereto to dislodge it in order to remove the; drive.

I In Fig. 5 there is illustrated a form of the invention embodying meanslfor positively seating the ring 23 in locking position in the recess 17.. For;;this purpose, the groove 19 correspondingqto the groove 19 :is widened and tapered in depth from its deepest portion 31 to a locking seat 32 of .a depth substantially equal to half the diameter of the locking ring 23.

When pressure is=applied in the direction of the arrow to the collar 16 in this form of the in-. vention, the locking ring 23 will be pressed against its seats in the recess 17 and groove :19

to form a rigid locking connection. Pressure on the collar 16 in the opposite direction will cause the locking ring23 tobe moved into the deeper portion of the groove 19*, thus. allowing the ring to leave the recess 1'1 and free the collar 16.

If deemed desirable, a locking structure according to the present invention vmay also be used to retain the anchoring collar 15 inits longitudinal position on the shaft 10. Such a structure is illustrated in Fig. 6 where a collar 15 corresponding to the anchoring collar. 15 is provided with a tapered recess 17, shaft 10 is provided with a groove 19*, and a locking ring 23 is adapted toseat in said recess and groove as there illustrated. The key 28 is preferably arranged within the gap of the looking ring 23 so as not to interfere with the action of the ring.

Since the collar 15 may tend to be drawn in the direction of the arrow during the demeshing operation of the starting mechanism due to the threading action of the springs 13 and 14, it is sometimes desirable to supplement the frictional resistance of the locking ring 23* to movement in that direction. One such form of supplemental holding means is illustrated in the form of a pilot screw 33 having a. tapered point 34 adapted to seat in a tapered depression 36 in the shaft 10 The recess 36 is preferably arranged so thatthe pilot screw. 33 will contact the side thereof as illustrated in order to wedge the collar into its locking position. It will be understood that with this arrangement the driving thrusts are taken by the locking ring 23 in the maner described in connection with the locking ring 23.

In assembling a starter embodying the structure shown in Fig. 6, the anchoring ring. 23 and.

key 28 are inserted in the shaft, the collar 15 with its assembledparts is then slipped on the shaft 10 until the locking ring enters its seat in the recess 17*, and the pilot screw 33 is thereupon entered and tightened in the depression 36.

Although certain embodiments of the invention have been shown and describedin detail, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the details of the construction and various otherembodiments will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic starter shift, ashaft and an abutment thereon comprising a collar loosely fitting said shaft andhaving an internal recess therein, saidshaft having a groove adaptedto register therewith, and a spring. ring adapted to seat in saidrecess and enter said groove tov lock the collar on the shaft, said; ring. being under compression in said recess and said'recess having an inwardly tapered portion on one side whereby the ring yieldingly opposeslongitudinal movement of the collar in one direction.

2. In an automatic starter shift, a shaft and:

an abutment thereon comprising a collar loosely fitting said shaft and having an internal recess.

3. A shaft collar having a shallow annular in-- ternal recess, extending inwardly from one edge thereof, gradually increasing in depth .until ter-' minated. by an approximately radial shoulder, in combination with a shaft on whichthe collar is adapted to be mounted and having a groove defined by approximately radial shoulders spaced substantially twice the greatest depth of said recess and adapted to register with the deepest part of said recess, and a spring ring adaped to looselyfit said groove and to seat'inthe deepest, part of said recess, said groove. having suffi cient depth to allow; the ring to compress and pass through the shallowest part of said recess.

4. A shaft collar having an internal recess exing in the recess and having a thickness of approximately twice the greatest depth of said. recess, the groove in said shaft being sufficiently deep to allow the spring to compress and pass under the outeredge of said recess.

5. In an automatic starter shift, a shaft and an abutment thereon comprising a collar loosely fitting said shaft and having an internal annular recess of tapered depth, said shaft having an annular groove similarly tapered in depth, and an annular locking member adapted to seat in said recess and groove, the recess and groove being so formed that pressure on said collar in one direction will move the annular member into the shallow part of the groove and the deeper part of the recess, where the annular member will lock said collar on the shaft, while pressure on the collar in the opposite direction will move the annular member into the deeper part of the groove and allow it to pass out of said recess and free the collar from the shaft.

6. A shaft collar having an internal recess extending from one edge thereof and becoming deeper until bounded by an abrupt shoulder, in combination with a shaft adapted to slidably receive said collar and having a groove of similarly tapered depth bounded on its shallow side by an abrupt shoulder, an annular locking member adapted to seat against said shoulders in said recess and groove and lock the collar from movement on the shaft in one direction, the tapered portion of said groove being adapted to force said locking member into locking position when pressure is applied to said collar in said one direction, and the deeper portion of said groove being adapted to receive said locking member and allow it to compress sufficiently to escape from said recess when pressure is applied to said collar in the opposite direction.

7. In an automatic starter shift, a shaft, a collar slidably mounted thereon having an internal recess of tapered depth bounded by an abrupt shoulder, said shaft having a groove adapted to register with said recess, an annular looking member adapted to seat in said recess and groove and lock the collar on said shaft in one direction, said groove being sufliciently deep to receive said locking member as compressed by the tapered portion of said recess and permit removal of the collar in the opposite direction, and removable means for preventing movement of the collar in said opposite direction.

MAURICE P. WHITNEY. 

